ANNOUNCING OUR NEW ANIMALSTONE CHARM: CECIL THE LION

AnimalStone’s Cecil the Lion Pendant. For each sale of a solid sterling silver Cecil the Lion pendant, AnimalStone will donate $15 CAD to Wild Tomorrow Fund to support our Lion Protection work.

Wild Tomorrow Fund is delighted to announce the addition of the Cecil the Lion charm to our growing partnership with AnimalStone, an animal-inspired luxury jewelry company headquartered in Canada. For each sale of AnimalStone’s sterling silver Cecil the Lion pendant, $15 Canadian dollars (CAD) will be donated in support of Wild Tomorrow Fund’s lion protection work. This includes support for lion monitoring in South Africa and Mozambique, and the Walking for Lions project in Namibia which is actively researching current locations of free roaming wild lions (living outside protected national parks) in relation to communities, in order to understand and mitigate their conflict with people.

“The death of Cecil impacted me personally” said AnimalStone’s CEO Claire Garber, “It reminded me of the vulnerability of animals in the face of trained and blood thirsty hunters with zero regard or respect for the majesty of the animal kingdom and our ecological connectedness. There is no greater presence in the wild than that of a Lion or a Lioness. They are a steadfast and beautiful creature that symbolizes courage, nobility and honour.”

Cecil the Lion follows in the footsteps of the Rosco the Rhino pendant, for which AnimalStone also donates $15.00CAD to support Wild Tomorrow Fund's rhino conservation work in southern Africa, with an annual contribution goal of $5,000CAD.

It was almost three years ago on July 1st 2015, that a stunning and well-known 13-year old male lion named Cecil was shot and killed by an American trophy hunter just outside the unfenced border of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. The global anger, outrage and sadness at Cecil’s tragic death reverberated around the world as a call for action to protect lions not only from trophy hunters, but to bring focus and awareness to the bigger issues underlying their decline across Africa.

The lion (Panthera leo) has been disappearing from the wild at a rapid rate. In the last 21 years, equivalent to just three lion generations, their population has plummeted by an estimated 43%. Today, lions are extinct in 26 African countries with less than 20,000 lions remaining, occupying only 8% of their historical range. In short - they are in serious trouble across the African continent.

Lions and the decline of Cecil’s wild brothers and sisters all across Africa is due to three main threats: human-lion conflict, bushmeat poaching and habitat-loss. With humans as the cause, it is only humans who can be the solution. It is now up to all who were so saddened and angered by Cecil’s death to stand with the governments and people of Africa by supporting efforts on the ground to save the majestic lion.

“We need all hands on deck to help fight for a wild future for lions” said Wild Tomorrow Fund co-founder Wendy Hapgood, “We need scientists, politicians, policy-makers, financiers and artists to join together and use their unique talents to save wildlife. We are so appreciative of our collaboration with AnimalStone, and delighted that they have chosen to dedicate proceeds of their very special Cecil the Lion charm to benefit Wild Tomorrow Fund’s lion protection work.”

A wild lion at Swaziland’s Hlane Royal National Park. Photo Credit: Tori Gray.

“Cecil's story is important to AnimalStone” continues Claire, “because we are trying to tell the stories of animals that many of us will never come into contact with, and at the rate of decline being experienced by wild lion populations, the world may one day say goodbye to these majestic creatures. I can't think of anything more tragic that the thought of losing these animals due to human activity. Our Cecil the Lion charm is a physical reminder of the majesty of the lion, it's strong and empowering attributes as well as the real life plight and threat of lion populations in the wild.”

Thank you to AnimalStone for your support of lion conservation, rhino conservation and so many other animal & environmental causes including Wild Tomorrow Fund. Not only will this beautiful lion pendant remind and physically connect people to the animal they love, it is also supporting the protection of lions in the wild. Please consider a Cecil the Lion gift for yourself and others in your life who were touched by the story of his death.

AnimalStone has made it their mission to create timeless wearable art that pays homage to each animal by giving texture and life to each and every piece. The company was founded on the principal that animals have shared this planet with us since time immemorial. It is their sincere hope that their jewellery serves as a constant reminder of the profound majesty of our animal kingdom, of our place within it and most importantly, that the natural world is fine art in and of itself. www.animalstone.com